Water management framework

3.3 Water management framework

Water management operates in a three-dimensional framework. The three parts of the framework, usually constructed at the national scale, are the enabling environment, institutions and management (Box 3.B). However, not all the elements of such a framework may be in place.

This means that, to begin integrating water management in basins, it is important to get a clear understanding of the water management framework in which decisions about water are made – the national water management framework within a country, or the international water management framework that spans several countries.

Box 3.B. The three dimensions of water management frameworks

Enabling environment

Institutions

Management

Structures to „ Frame water resources

Laws and policies

Roles and responsibilities

„ Assess water resources management within a

„ Of basin and other water

(availability and demand) country and between

sector organisations at

„ Set up communication and countries

different levels in the

government, non-

information systems

„ Resolve conflicts in Water user dialogues

government and private

allocation of water „ Cross-sectoral and

sectors

„ Establish regulations upstream-downstream

„ Effective co-ordination

„ Establish financing dialogues

mechanisms

arrangements „ Basin committee

„ Planning process

„ Establish self-regulation (voluntary actions) Budgets

„ Financing

„ Research and develop „ Financing organisations and

„ Undertake development investment

works „ Ensure accountability Co-o operation

„ Develop organisational „ Within international

capacity river basins

„ Co-ordinate

Not all the elements in a water management framework have to be in place to establish integrated water resources management at the basin level. In fact, in most cases it's unlikely that they will be. Usually, setting up and maintaining a basin organisation is a step-by-step process that works with what already exists and, at the same time, seeks to strengthen elements of the framework that will help the basin organisation function more effectively. Initiatives to set up new basin organisations or change existing ones need to determine to what extent these are, or are not, in place and allocate resources – time and money – to secure the political will to set them up and strengthen them (Example 3.7).

A HANDBOOK FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN BASINS

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Example 3.7. Volta basin: establishing the water management framework

The six riparian countries of the Volta Basin, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali and Togo, set up the Volta Basin Technical Committee (VBTC) in July 2004. This inter-governmental committee was mandated to establish the enabling environment for a Volta transboundary river basin organisation for integrated water resources management. In doing so, the VBTC consulted the Water Resources Co-ordination Unit of the Economic Community of West African States, experts from each member country and the European Union Water Initiative.

The VBTC set out the statutes, organisation chart, human and financial resources, financial mechanisms, inter-country co-ordination systems and planning processes needed to establish the basin authority. These took into account the national strategies for water resources management of the six member states. They also integrated the programmes of external support agencies, such as the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial and other donors, in order to ensure synergy and develop an appropriate action plan.

Where the framework for water management is weak or elements are missing, some of the steps that might be taken are:

„ making an inventory of the state of water resources and ecosystems; „ doing an assessment of needs and priorities for intervention; „ making an inventory of the actors involved in the broader water and development sectors

who need to be contacted; „ finding ways to share knowledge, data and information; „ finding ways to co-ordinate decision making between levels and actors; „ encouraging dialogue between stakeholders; „ establishing water allocation mechanisms; „ reducing water pollution and restoring ecosystems; „ handling floods and droughts (climate variability); and „ developing financing mechanisms for water management.